Always on? How to switch off in a digital world

Mar. 6, 2013
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Dowling Aaron attorney Matt Besmer of Fresno, CA uses his personal mobile device to maintain contact with his clients at any given time, whether accessing court dockets when he is away from his computer or determining whether he needs to be in court by reviewing his calendar. / Justin Kase Conder for USA TODAY

by Laura Petrecca, USA TODAY

by Laura Petrecca, USA TODAY

Here are some things workers can do to better manage the always-on expectations of the digital world:

Take initiative

Talk with managers and colleagues about their expectations, says Mary Ellen Slayter, a career adviser for job search site Monster.com. A boss may not expect a reply to an after-hours e-mail until the next day, or she may want a response within two hours. It's best to know.

Communicate boundaries

"Sometimes you just have to turn it off," says HR expert Lisa Orndorff. That may mean telling a boss, "I'm going to my son's cello concert tonight, so I'm going to be offline until tomorrow," or setting an automated out-of-office response each night that tells the sender "thank you for the e-mail" and that a personal reply will come the next day after 9 a.m.

Keep the ego in check

Sure, many workers feel their roles are vital, but it doesn't mean they have to be continuously clocked in. "In some respects, we delude ourselves about how important we are," says gyro's worldwide president, Rick Segal. "When I take vacations, I put up the boundaries, and when I come back, I find out just how expendable I may be."

Look at the bright side

"You could see this as everything is going to hell in a handbasket," says life coach Martha Beck. Or there could be the mind-set of: "I have responsibility for structuring my own time, and that means that I have more time to be free for the people that I love."